Thoughts from the interface of science, religion, law and culture

After spending several years touring the country as a stand up comedian, Ed Brayton tired of explaining his jokes to small groups of dazed illiterates and turned to writing as the most common outlet for the voices in his head. He has appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show and the Thom Hartmann Show, and is almost certain that he is the only person ever to make fun of Chuck Norris on C-SPAN.

EVENTS

Bryan Fischer Award Nominee: Mitch McConnell

The Bryan Fischer Award is given to those who project their most blatant negative attributes onto those they claim to be against. Here’s a great example of that behavior by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, just before Obama’s State of the Union speech:

“It’s hard not to feel a sense of disappointment even before tonight’s speech is delivered because while we don’t yet know all the specifics, we do know the goal,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor today, “the goal isn’t to conquer the nation’s problems. It’s to conquer Republicans.”

McConnell has indeed been so single focused on defeating Obama that it might be said he put the ‘NO’ in GNOP.

While I have nothing but contempt for Sen. McConnell, I’m confident his position on being an obstructionist in no way distinguishes him within the Republican leadership or within the GOP voting base. Given that the conservatives within the Democratic party have also frequently joined Republicans in filibustering their own party/caucus’ agenda, not just voting against that agenda, but effectively impeding such votes to even take place, I would argue Sen. McConnell is a standard-issue conservative when it comes to the conservative movement’s willingness to effectively shut down the legislative process of government as much as they feasibly can – regardless of the consequences to the country.

Is McConnell really Fischer-worthy? His logic is linear and consistent, after all. The Republicans cannot hope to oust Obama after one term if he keeps reminding the electorate about the obstructionism of the party.